13-teens from throughout the US, Canada, and the Philippines are coming collectively to construct and suggest new psychological well being packages and initiatives on behalf of BIPOC and marginalized youth
ARLINGTON, Va., March 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Right this moment marks a special occasion for 13-teens throughout the nation and the globe, as The AAKOMA Undertaking proclaims its chosen members for its newly revamped initiative for teenagers and younger adults. Workforce AAKOMA contains a various pool of younger individuals from all walks of life and experiences. The cohort would be the driving drive behind AAKOMA’s packages and initiatives for BIPOC and marginalized youth.
The AAKOMA Undertaking’s founder, Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble, a sought-after media contributor, writer, speaker, and psychological well being correspondent, will lead Workforce AAKOMA. Dr. Alfiee focuses on offering intersectional BIPOC (together with, LGBTQI+ and disabled) teenagers and their households, simply digestible and actionable data on psychological well being and suicide prevention. From a wide-ranging applicant pool, various from cities, states, and worldwide borders, these teenagers present the passion wanted to make a change of their speedy communities and take away the stigma related to psychological well being.
The group will come collectively to create psychological well being youth-based content material and disseminate analysis they conduct to their friends, and assist shut the hole for teenagers searching for psychological well being assets throughout the globe. They may have the chance to work carefully with Dr. Alfiee and throughout The AAKOMA Undertaking digital groups and frequent prime companions and neighborhood collaborators, corresponding to Starbucks, Harry’s Shave Membership/Flamingo, the Born This Approach Basis, and the Psychological Wealth Alliance.
“One of many largest points within the BIPOC neighborhood appears to be stigma, and a useful solution to overcome that may be listening to from actual teenagers and Folks of Shade, who’ve labored to enhance their psychological well being,” says Workforce AAKOMA member, Annmary Atony, from California.
“My ardour for psychological well being advocacy stems from my observance of how psychological pains hinder and suffocate so many people. Everybody deserves to really feel fulfilled with their life — by way of psychological well being advocacy, we will present individuals how one can type by way of their feelings and behaviors to seek out the solutions and validation they search,” says Workforce AAKOMA member, Yewande Shitta-Bey, from Florida.
The Workforce AAKOMA cohort has already began to establish useful methods to deal with lots of the stigmas BIPOC youth face when coping with their psychological well being.
This is the reason it’s essential for teenagers to be concerned within the improvement of psychological well being packages and initiatives. Selections are sometimes made that immediately influence youth, but they don’t seem to be given the chance to share their viewpoints, experiences, and options.
“Workforce AAKOMA is an extension of an concept that got here to me in 1999 after I based The AAKOMA Undertaking,” says The AAKOMA Undertaking Founder, Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble. “I’ve at all times felt that compassionate and efficient psychological well being analysis, care, and advocacy with younger individuals (particularly these from marginalized communities) begins with real partnership and engagement. My coronary heart is open to amplifying the voices of individuals whom most others overlook, and my work with Workforce AAKOMA isn’t any totally different,” says Dr. Alfiee. “My imaginative and prescient is for Workforce AAKOMA to exhibit to the world the wonderful management capability of intersectional teenagers of shade and allies within the psychological well being area. I might be remiss to not absolutely acknowledge beneficiant help from The Starbucks Basis Memorial Fund that helps this work.”
To help The AAKOMA Undertaking and be taught extra about Workforce AAKOMA, please go to www.aakomaproject.org. For media inquiries, please contact: Samantha Rucobo at [email protected]
About The AAKOMA Undertaking: On the AAKOMA Undertaking, our founder’s imaginative and prescient is a world the place EVERY baby, teen, and younger grownup (inclusive of all factors of range) feels the liberty to dwell unapologetically and authentically inside an atmosphere that enables them to rise and thrive. Due to this, AAKOMA helps BIPOC and marginalized teenagers, younger adults, and their household’s psychological well being by way of dialogue, genuine, equitable engagement in communities, and understanding that everybody deserves #optimalmentalhealth. AAKOMA is a multigenerational group of devoted individuals who create scientific data resulting in constructive conduct change and implement this science utilizing community-engaged and culturally fluent practices.
Media Contact
Samantha Rucobo
Candice Nicole Public Relations
571-480-5478
[email protected]
SOURCE The AAKOMA Undertaking
